It's Magic My Dear
by Lover of romance246
Summary: Andrea Bellini was just a regular Italian immigrant trying to find his way around a new country and take care of his mother. Until a new threat comes to Gotham whose main goal is to hunt him down. And on top of that, he learns that he's a homo magi with extraordinary powers that he has no idea how to control. But don't worry. No matter how much he thinks he is, he's not alone.
1. Chapter 1

"Figlio! Torna qui!_Son! Come back here!_" A young woman with wavy black curls pushed through the crowds in the busy terminal. She was new to the country and knew little about how to speak the language. She had told her son to keep close but he had gotten distracted by the hustle and bustle of the airport and wandered off. She saw which way he went but she soon lost him in the crowd.

"Figlio! Dove sei?_Son! Where are you?_" Looking for her son, she didn't notice the large, burly man in her path. She collided with the ground and looked up to see the man sneering down at her. "Watch where you're going!"

A few people had stopped what they were doing and started to stare. The brunette winced under the man's churlish glare and ducked her head. "S-sorry. M-my s-son."

The man tisked and stomped away, muttering cruel words under his breath as he went. The few people who had stayed to watch dispersed, leaving the woman crumpled on the floor in the middle of the airport. People trampled over her, not caring to look down or just ignoring her completely. She fought back the tears that were threatening to fall, not wanting to show weakness in a place she didn't know. She cupped both of her hands to her mouth and tried calling out again, "Figlio! _Son!_"

"Excuse me."

An angel was standing over her. Black hair that tumbled down her shoulders in curls and waves. She looked down at her with confusion and compassion, nothing like how the burly man had glared at her. "Do you speak English?" The woman gave a confused look. "English. Do you speak it?" She used hand gestures to better explain.

"Only a little." The woman's accent was heavy through her words.

The beautiful woman nodded. "Ok. Parli Italiano? _Do you speak Italian?_ "

"Sí. Yes."

She smiled. "Bene! Come ti chiami? _Good! What's your name?_"

"Mi chiami Camila Bellini. _My name is Camila Bellini._"

"Che bel nome. _What a beautiful name._" The blue-eyed woman held her hand out to the woman on the floor. She looked from the woman's outstretched hand to her eyes, once, twice, a third time, before she warily accepted the hand up.

"Stai cercando tuo figlio? _Are you looking for your son?_"

Camilia nodded. "Sí. Ho perso mio figlio. Continuo a chiamarlo, ma non viene. _Yes. I lost my baby. I keep calling him, but he won't come._"

"È di questa altezza, capelli castani chiari, e indossa una camicia di flanella rossa è jeans blu? _He is of this height, with dark hair, wearing a red flannel shirt and blue jeans._" Again using hand gestures to explain what she was saying.

Camilia eyes widened and she smiled. "Sí. You've seen Andrea?"

"Come." The beautiful stranger grabbed her by the hand and led her through the thick crowds of the airport, pushing anyone out the way who wouldn't let them by. "Is everyone in America this rude?"

"No, not everyone. Ti traferisci qui? _Are you moving here?_" There was silence. "Ti trasferisci in America? _Are you moving to America?_"

"Sí. Me and Andrea, my son."

"That's a beautiful name."

"It was my late husband's." A crestfallen look fell over Camila's face. "He died before we come here to America."

"Oh. Mi dispiace. _I'm sorry."_

"It's okay."

She had led her to the Terminal 1 food court. The Italian women's mouth dropped at all the different restaurants and concession stands there were to choose from in such a big space. They stopped in front of a restaurant called 'New York Hot Dog & Coffee'.

Still, hand-in-hand, the woman used her free hand to pull open the door and they went in. The inside reminded her of her favorite deli from back home. There was a concrete countertop with a few workers behind the counter tending to the customers and serving coffee with the kitchen in full view of the customers who are sitting at the tables and booths that are lined up around the sides.

In a booth seat by the window, a little boy was sitting by himself. His hair was messily mopped on top of his head and his bangs swept over his right eye. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and blue denim jeans. He was eating a hot dog. A cup of coffee was on the table across from him. The woman pointed to the boy.

"Andrea!" Camilia rushed to her child and crouched down to pull him into the biggest hug. "Are you okay? I was so worried. Non farlo mai più! _Don't ever do that again!_"

"Sì, mamma. Mi dispiace."

"Thank you." The Italian woman rushed to her feet. "How can I repay you? I'll do anything."

"No need." The brunette picked up the cup of coffee and gently brought it to her lips. "Seeing a son and his mother happy and together is thanks enough," she said before taking a sip. She grabbed her black satin purse.

"Are you leaving," Andrea smiled dropped as the disappointment settled in.

She smiled a coy friendly smile that held such boyish mischief and charm that Andrea had to smile back. She crouched down to Andrea's height, "Here." A small white envelope was passed from the woman's hands to Andrea's. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

She lightly ruffled his already messy light brown hair before standing up. "Enjoy America!" The brunette patted Camila's shoulder in parting before sashaying out of the restaurant.

His fingers stumbled with the glued down flap before he finally got the envelope open. It was a flyer. The letters were written in cursive.

_The Magic Show of the Century_

_Featuring the Mistress of Magic herself:_

_Zatanna Zatara_

_Performing On All Week Days_

_9:00 to 10:00 and 11:00 to 12:00_

_At Dante's Lounge_

Andrea flipped the note over. There was a message written in cursive with light blue ink.

_I'll be here from 9 to 12. If you need anything or just need to talk. The back door is always open._

_~ Z_

Andrea found himself grinning ear to ear when he finished reading the letter. He quickly stuffed the letter into his jacket pocket before his mother grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the restaurant and back into the terminal.

But neither of them noticed the purple sparks that flew when their hands touched.

* * *

**Sorry if the translations are wrong. Italian is not my first language and I didn't trust Google Translate, so I tried to go for the next best thing. Feel free to correct me if you see anything wrong with the translations.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So tired -_-**

* * *

Zatanna was sitting at the bar and took a sip of her negroni as she watched the jazz singer finishing up. With a drawn-out last note from his trumpet, the audience gave the man a standing ovation as he took a bow on stage. Another man with grease slicked-back hair and a pressed white suit with a red bowtie walked up on stage as the singer walked off the stage, the audience still clapping even after he sat down. He nodded his head in greetings to Zatanna before asking the bartender for a whiskey on the rocks.

"Please give it up one more time for Mr. Sandy Detroit!" The audience-whose members seemed more than slightly tipsy- cheered as Sandy raised his hand in thanks from the bar.

"Well if you enjoyed that act then you're sure to enjoy the next." The purple curtains began to close and the stage light started to dim. "Next up on the stage is the act you've all been waiting for. The man with the mystical touch, the man that can make a 10-ton elephant appear out of nowhere, Mr. Magic himself. Johnny Cast and his beautiful assistant, Miranda!"

A cloud of smoke puffed out on stage and in a flash, Johnny and his assistant appeared on stage. They both bowed, Johnny with his magician's hat in hand. The audience applauded.

"Remind me to never use that bit again." Zatanna rolled her eyes as Johnny walked up and down the stage flirting with the women in the audience, She grinned at the last woman he had walked by who them flipped him off.

She passed her empty glass across the bar. The bartender grabbed two bottles of liquor off the shelves behind him to make another negroni. "This is your third glass tonight, Zatara. I'd be careful of not letting your alcoholism show."

"I am not an alcoholic; I haven't drunk that much."

"Mmhmm." He skillfully poured the two drinks into a shaker and mixed the drink. "This is your last drink before I'm cutting you off." He poured the drink in her glass and slid it back across the counter.

Zatanna raised an eyebrow. "I've only had two drinks, Dante. I'm not a lightweight."

Dante rested his hip on the counter as he picked up the two bottles of liquor from the middle shelf to make Sandy's drink. "Being a lightweight has nothing to do with it."

Knowing she wasn't getting anything more out of him, Zatanna sighed and started watching Johnny's performance, stirring the contents in her glass instead of sipping on it. Johnny was stumbling over his act. He had succeeded in pulling a bunny out of his hat but one bunny turned into six, then six turned into thirteen. He and his leggy assistant were running around the stage trying to catch the rabbits. Zatanna slouched back on the bar as the audience members laughed. Dante wrinkled his nose. "I don't see how this is funny. It's an extreme mockery to the mystical arts."

"Half of the audience is so drunk that all they can do is laugh, Dante." She started twirling a lock of hair around her pinky while watching the show. She covered her mouth to stop from laughing when a rabbit jumped at the last minute to avoid a leaping Johnny who face planted straight into the wood of the stage. Dante noticed this. "So you find this funny?"

"Hilarious." She took a sip of her drink then swirled the liquid around the rim of the glass. "But remember, we don't see the same thing that the audience sees. The wool has been pulled so far over these people's eyes that they're baaing like sheep."

Dante's face scrunched up in disgust. "There's dark magic in the air, stronger than what's natural in Gotham; and a strong aura is coming from him."

"But why? He's dreamed of becoming an actor since he was little. He went to an acting college. He even had plastic surgery so that he could be recognized as a pretty boy actor. What business does Johnny have with the mystic arts?"

"Did you find this information yourself or did Boy Blunder look him up for you?" Dante asked without looking away from the stage. Zatanna traded her amused smile for a frown, remembering the cheeky boy with silky black unkempt hair and a shit-eating grin who was the first one to introduce himself to her first day at the cave.

"I hear he goes by a new name now. What was it? Nightbeak?"

"Nightwing."

"Ain't he dating the Commissioner's daughter?"

"Dante."

"You know I never liked redheads."

"Your ex-wife was a redhead."

"Exactly."

"Dante give it up." She turned around in her bar seat and ducked her head in another direction to avoid Dante's scrutinizing eyes. "He's happy and safe. That's all that matters."

"And while he's happy and safe, you're sitting here crying at my lounge with a target on your head. Let's make a trade." He reached for her unfinished glass while handing her an unused handkerchief from his jacket pocket. A watery sob unwillingly racked through her as she dabbed the corners of her wet eyes with the cloth. "This is why I limit your drinks. After your third, you start getting emotional."

"I do not," Zatanna huffed.

"You wouldn't be sitting here crying if you weren't. Now stop your blubbering. We're still in business and you still have an actor to interrogate." As if to punctuate his statement the crowd abruptly broke out into applause. Johnny and Miranda were bowing on the stage.

"Thank you! Thank you! You guys have been an amazing audience, but it's time for me to go!"

"You still have the mask?" Zatanna asked.

Dante opened his coat just enough for her to catch a glance of the slight glow inside and midnight blue material of her mask. A smirk graced her pouty lips.

"Then I guess it's time to see what Johnny knows."

The chain of her necklace slowly started to rise until the locket started to come out from its hidden place underneath her dress. She clutched it in her hand before anybody would notice it. She was practically vibrating in place,

Dante noticed. He looked over her shoulder and whispered so that only she could hear him. "Keep your head down. He's only passing by."


	3. Chapter 3

Dick clapped along with the audience while secretly barfing inside his mouth. The famous overnight actor had been on the League's watch list for 5 months. There has been a rumor going around underground that he's the leader of a trafficking cartel that's been harboring and transporting humans and meta-humans across the Atlantic for commercial and compelled labor purposes.

Though because of his newfound fame, cameras and news reporters have been flanking him from all sides 24/7, making it impossible for any member of the League to approach or take him in without causing an international uproar. So there was an order to subdue but keep distance among both the members of the League and the Team whenever Johnny is within their vicinity.

Johnny is hosting a gala tomorrow at his new mansion. That would be the perfect time to gather information. But the only problem is that a member of the League or Team would have to be invited.

Johnny's earlier tweet about his performance at Dante's Lounge had given Batman the perfect opportunity to spy on him, but with Batman being out of town and Tim having to lead an important mission for the team Dick was the only option left.

Which is why he's sitting in the audience at Dante's Lounge ready to stab his eyes out with a dinner fork.

"Thank you! Thank you! You guys have been an amazing audience, but it's time for me to go!" Johnny and Miranda both waved to the audience as they walked off the stage and towards two burly men wearing sunglasses-who appeared to be their bodyguards-standing by the door. Soft music started to play through the speakers throughout the Lounge once they were a few steps off from the stage.

A woman from a few tables behind him sat down in his booth and sat close enough to him that personal space was thrown out the window, "Isn't this something? An opener, the main show, and now an encore. I'm Sunny."

"Nice to meet you, Sunny" He tried not to recoil from the strong stench of alcohol on her breath. "But I have to go. Excuse me." He slid out of the other side of the booth before Danny could grab his arm. She watched him walk out of the bar after Johnny then recoiled when someone smacked her in the back of the head.

"Oww! What was that for?" She cried out, fixing a glare on the person behind her and rubbing the knot forming on the back of her head.

"You were supposed to be on surveillance only. You could have jeopardized us!" Sandy hissed.

"Sorry. Sorry. I was just doing a little detective work."

"So you do detective work by pretendin' to be drunk and hitting on a multi-billionaire's son and telling him your name is Sunny, which sounds like you're a stripper at Lace. Really, Danny?"

"Okay one: did you really think I would've told him my real name? I'm more professional than that. Two: if I was going to pick a stripper name it would be Sunny Drop. And three: out of all the strip clubs in New Jersey you picked Lace. I knew you were a freak the moment I first looked at you."

"You think everyone is a freak the first time you meet 'em" Sandy nudged in her side and she scooted over to give him some room. He passed her a strawberry margarita when he sat down. "You're a saint," Danny said before bringing the drink up to her lips for a taste.

"What kind of detective work were you doing over here anyway?" Danny made a sound of enjoyment as she swirled the drink around the rim of the glass. She looked over at the bar. Zatanna had her head down-her long hair shielding her face from whoever was walking towards the entrance- and Dante was watching the door Dick just walked through with an irritated look on his face. "Just a theory I'm testing."

* * *

Johnny was walking in front of his bodyguards towards a stretched out limousine. A man wearing a tailored suit and holding a clipboard by his side was standing beside its door.

Dick managed to catch up with Johnny in the parking lot. Though before he could speak the bodyguards notice him. They both shielded Johnny and quickly pulled their guns out of their pockets and aimed at him. He stopped walking and quickly put his hand before they decided to shoot.

"Woah, Woah. Cool, it guys." Johnny stood between them and placed a hand on both of their shoulders. Without taking their eyes off of Dick they slowly lowered their guns, but they kept their hands near the trigger. Just in case.

"Sorry man. My bodyguards can be a bit protective." Johnny moved from between his two bodyguards and walked to stand a foot in front of Dick. He held his hand out. "Johnny Cash,"

Dick shook his hand, "Richard Grayson."

"Wayne's son. Well, it's an honor to be standing in front of the Prince of Gotham. Hey, I've been wanting to ask. What is up with those gargoyles on Wayne tower?"

Dick chuckled. "The tower was built by my father's ancestors. They believed gargoyles as protectors over beloved possessions. They also add a certain je ne sais quoi to Gotham City's somewhat dark vibe."

"Well, they give me the creeps. But that is an interesting way of viewing them."

"Growing up in Wayne family you learn to view things in more interesting ways. Congratulations on your first premier. You must've worked your back off to be in that movie."

"Well as my grandmother used to say: "With hard work, you can get fire out of stone."

"She sounds very wise,"

"She was. She died last year."

"I'm sorry."

"Tomorrow's her birthday. I'm throwing a gala tomorrow in her honor."

"Really? I would love to go and give my support."

"You want an invite?" Miranda could be seen walking towards them from over Johnny's shoulder. She was now wearing a glittery red robe over her shoulders to cover up her revealing magician's assistant uniform. "Johnny, who is this?"

"Miranda this is Richard Grayson. He was just asking for an invitation to Grandmother's gala." Miranda looked him up and down before leaning in to whisper in Johnny's ear. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Nonsense." He snapped his fingers. The man in the tailored suit came running to Johnny's side. He bowed on one knee and present his clipboard with the guest list. Johnny pulled a pen out of his pocket and quickly scribbled on the sheet. When he was done and clicked the pen, the man stood up and ran back to the limo to resume his position. Miranda huffed and stomped to the limo, shoving the man away when he tried to open the door for her and slamming the door shut once she was settled inside.

"Sorry about Miranda. She can be a bit of a brat." Johnny said as he pushed the pen back into his pocket. "The gala is at 10:00, the dress code is formal, and BYOD: bring your own drink. I'm kidding. But it is always nice to contribute."

"I'll be sure to remember that." The cuff of Johnny's suit's jacket had ridden up. A part of a black inked tattoo could be seen curling at his wrist. "Is that a tattoo?"

"Hmm?" He looked down at his wrist. "Oh yeah, I got this just out of high school." Johnny slyly tried to pull his cuff back down as to not alarm Dick. He took note of this. "Hope to see you at the gala." He turned and started walking towards his limo without waiting for a reply. The man in the tailored suit-maybe his butler-opened the door for him and waited for Johnny to buckle his seatbelt before he shut the door and walked around to the other side of the limo and climbed in himself.

Dick waited for the limo to speed off before dropping his smile and began to loosen his tie on his trek to his Maserati parked in the back of the parking lot. He pulled his keys out of his pants pocket and pressed a button. The driver's seat of the car slowly flipped open. Once he got inside he pressed the button again and the door flipped closed. He opened his glove compartment and pulled his loosened tie from around his neck and stuffed it inside then shut it back then started the ignition. He settled back in his seat and put his foot on the accelerator. "Siri read all unread messages."

_You have 3 unread messages._

_'The board meeting has been pushed back to next Tuesday. Make sure you have your proposal done by then.'_

"Its always work with him." He silently shook his head. The phone skipped to the next message.

_'Dude, I can't believe the man who always on his phone isn't answering his messages right now when something this important has happened. Call me back as soon as possible.'_

"Wonder what he's gotten himself into?" The phone went to the final message.

_'Hey, boyfriend. Remember me, your girlfriend? Apparently, you don't since I'm at home. Alone. On our anniversary.'_

_"Crap," h_e thought. "Siri, call Babs."

Calling Babs. The phone rang twice before she picked it up. "Where the hell are you!"

"Look, I am so sorry Babs. Johnny had performed today in Gotham and I had to go-"

"You've been working on this case for months now. Today was supposed to be our day to relax. No missions, no League, no Johnny."

"I know Babs. I'm sorry, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I feel like I'm getting closer to a breakthrough" A red light stopped four cars in front of him. He slowed down until he stopped at least 4 feet behind the car in front of him.

"Your breakthrough won't keep you warm tonight." She hung up the phone before he could reply.

He groaned before slamming his forehead against his dashboard. The light turned green then. But the cars in front of him wouldn't move. He honked his car horn but no one moved. The people in the cars in front of him started to jump out of their vehicles and run the other way. That's when the screams came.

_**BOOM**_

A big explosion blew a giant crater in the street. A green cloud of smoke started billowing out of the hole until it got thicker and thicker.

More crowds of people came running from the cloud coughing with their shirts pulled up over their noses. Others came out coughing then laughing with wide grins on their faces before they dropped to the ground dead. Joker Venom.

The man himself could be seen on top of a building with Harley Quinn laughing and tossing Joker bombs over the edge. "Nothing does the heart good like a little Joker Venom every now and then."

"Look at them Mistah J," Harley exclaimed. "They're running around like little bitty ants. They're so cute I could crush them." She tossed another bomb over the building's rooftop.

"Batcave, come in. Come in Batcave. Joker and Harley causing trouble in Downtown Gotham. I need assistance."

"This is Batman. Robin and I are on our w-."

"The fog is clearing!"

"Hey! Look up there!"

"Who is that?"

The thick cloud of poisonous gas got lighter and lighter until it completely dispersed. A light blue magic circle was sucking up the venomous gas.

"Nightwing. What's happening?"

"Someones… handling it."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

In a few seconds, the gas was all cleared and the magic circle closed and blinked away in a rain of glitter.

It was a woman.

It was late at night so it was too dark to distinguish much about her. You could just barely make out the figure of her womanly curves. The only article of her clothing you could tell she was wearing was the hood over her head,

She looked over at Joker and Harley, who was trying to slowly tip-toe away to escape. She raised her hand up. A blue magical chained wrapped around both of them in a vice and levitated them both to the ground. Four GPD officers and an Arkham Asylum truck pulled up and climbed out to attain them.

"No fair! No fair!" Joker cried out when two GCP officers wearing gas masks grabbed him by his arms and hauled him into the transport van along with Harley Quinn who was kicking and screaming until the other two guards threw her into the back of the van.

The crowd cheered for the unknown woman. No one could see her expression as Joker and Harley Quinn were transported to Arkham, but she stayed hovering in the sky for a moment-maybe to bask in the praise- but turning around and flying away in another direction. They stilled cheered her on until she was far into the distance.

"Nightwing? Are you there?"

"Bats. I have news."


	4. Chapter 4

**So with this story and The Black Plague I won't be able to update that much because of school and testing so the update schedule will be a little strained. It's Magic My Dear will still be updated on Friday.**

* * *

After the mysterious woman disappeared, Batman and Robin showed up and took care of the damage. Many Gothamites were still pretty shaken after Joker's bombing. With the help of the police, they managed to calm down the populace and call road construction to fix the crater in the street.

In the commotion, Dick managed to sneak away to the Batcave and suit up; and after eating one or two of Alfred's cookies, he got to work trying to figure out who this mysterious woman is. He turned on the news.

_'A new hero has come into the scene during the Joker bombing. A woman with magical powers is said to have apprehended both the highly dangerous Joker and his partner in crime, Harley Quinn. Sighting says that it was too dark to see her face but they could see that she was wearing a hood. Whoever this new hero is, on behalf of Gotham, thank you.'_

Batman and Robin entered the cave when the new anchor showed the picture of the mystery woman on the screen. "So that's the mysterious woman everyone was talking about. Any idea on who she is?"

"No Idea. And apparently, no one else does either."

"So that means that she's not on the League's database," Robin inquired when he walked closer to the Batcomputer's monitor beside where Nightwing was sitting.

"We'll worry about that later. What's happening with Johnny? Did you get an invite?" Nightwing clicked off of the news segment and typed in a few coordinates onto the keyboard. Johnny's mansion appeared on the monitor. "I figured out the mansion's location and I managed to get an invite. The gala is being held at the old Filanto mansion. The used to be owned by Georgia Filanto, Johnny's last name before he changed it two years ago. He said she's his grandmother." Robin's eyes widened.

"Georgia Filanto was the biggest crime boss in New Jersey. I thought she didn't have any other family after her daughter's death."

"He could just be lying and trying to cover his tracks."

"You're going to have to find that out when you attend the gala. Take this." Batman handed Nightwing a device that looked much like a Bluetooth. There was a blinking red light. "This is a recorder. You turn it on by pressing a button hidden underneath the light. When it's flashing its recording. Any information that could be valuable or important is to be recorded."

"Got it." He put in a pocket of his utility belt. Batman looked back at Robin, "Go take a shower."

With a curt nod, he disappeared as if he wasn't there. Nightwing felt a touch of pride.

The cave was left quiet. Batman watched Nightwing carefully as he maneuvered through the Batcave. The usually bouncy acrobat was rigid. Something was holding him down. Batman thinks he knows what. It is getting around that time. He reached for the two buttons on both sides of the underside of his mask, feeling like he needed to be Bruce right now. "Are you alright, Dick?"

"Huh, I'm fine. Why?" He sounded distant. Nightwing halted his typing when Bruce walked up behind him. "I know it had to have been hard to go to that club again, especially after Zatanna's-"

"Really Bruce, I'm fine." His expressions gave nothing away. A trait he quickly learned from being Robin and being the son of Bruce Wayne; and also a trait that both made him proud and aggravated at the same time. Most times Dick is an open book, but when something was really bothering him he could hide his emotions to the point that even Bruce couldn't figure out what he is thinking. It frightens him.

But Bruce knows what it's like to lose someone, so he knows that pulling off that bandage before the person is ready.

So he placed his hand on his shoulder and mustered a small smile and said: "I'm always here when you need me," and walked towards the stairs the hidden entrance.

Nightwing waited until Bruce left to rip off his mask. He slammed his fists against the keyboard. A tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away with the back of his fist. He walked upstairs to prepare for the gala.

* * *

"Nope. Try again," Sandy said.

Zatanna groaned, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at her miniature entourage of apparent fashion critics. "Come on. This is the fourth dress I've tried on."

"So that means there are 16 more dresses back there for you to try on. How are you going to get Johnny to notice you if you're looking like a slutty knock off of Sleeping Beauty."

Zatanna glowered at Sandy before taking a deep breath and breathing it out harshly through her nose and stepping back into the small changing room at the start of the runway, closing the curtain behind her.

The four entered the boutique hoping to find Zatanna a dress for the gala. An attendant named Ruby kindly escorted them to a private dressing room decked with a runway and another adjoining room to change in with two empty clothes' racks. Dante and Danny went around the boutique and with the help of Ruby came back with more than twenty dresses for Zatanna to try on, ten from Dante and ten from Danny. It soon turned into a competition to see which set of dresses the two picked out that she would pick a dress from.

"Don't you think that was a little too harsh, Sand?" Danny was leaning forward on the edge of the couch cushion propping her elbow on her arm and tapping her fingers to her cheek. Sandy looked at her. He was leaned back on the couch with his hat tilted low on his head.

"Did you honestly think that was the dress she should have picked?"

"No, but there is a such thing as "sugarcoating."

"'Sugarcoating" isn't in my vocabulary."

"Neither is the word "fashionable," Danny said.

"I prefer comfort over fashionable."

"That brown trench coat you're wearing should be called 'hideous.'" Sandy sat up and offended 'hey' sounding from him.

"This is my work coat."

"And your going-out coat, and your party coat, and your-"

"It ain't wrong to use a coat for multiple occasions."

"No, but it is wrong when black and brown are the only two colors you know. Ever heard of the color blue? Or maybe green?"

"Would you two stop." Dante was seated upright on the other side of Sandy with one leg crossed over the other. "We're here to pick out dresses, not bring down the boutique with you two arguing."

"She started it." Sandy frowned and leaned back into the couch. Danny cackled.

The curtain was drawn back and Zatanna emerged out in her fifth pick. She twirled around to show from all sides. "Is this it?" Everyone's jaw dropped.

Danny tilted her head to the side as she looked Zatanna up and down, "But is it going to clash with her hair? She still has black hair for us, but remember that everyone else sees her with light brown."

"Shh! You never know who's listening Danny." Dante reprimanded. "But I think the dress will be alright."

Danny stood up from the couch and walked onto the runway and carefully inspected the dress, walking around her to see it up close and running her hands down the dress to see how it fits before standing back up and looking back over to the men sitting on the couch with slacked jaws. "I say it's a winner."

Sandy regained his composure and tilted his hat back down over his face to carry on his nonchalant attitude, though his tinted pink cheeks gave him away a little. "At least it looks better than that other dress."

Danny surveyed her one more time, "And I believe this a dress I picked out." She grinned cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah." Dante stretched his legs out and groaned as he stood up from the couch. "Sandy and I will go pay for it." Sandy quickly turned towards him confused, "Who said I was payin-" Dante swatted him on the back of the head. He started muttering something about money grubbers under his breath as he walked out of the dressing room with Dante behind him.

Danny grabbed Zatanna's hand and pulled her back behind the curtain to the other changing room, "Let me help you. Is there a hidden zipper?"

"It's in the back." She let Danny zip her out of the dress and it dropped to the floor. She changed into her own clothes then walked out of the dressing room with Danny. When they came out, Dante and Sandy were standing by the door with the receipt and a bag to put the dress in. After thanking Ruby, they left the boutique and climbed into Dante's BMW, on their way to Dante's mansion to get ready for the gala. Dante looked back at Zatanna in the mirror.

"Remember Zatara. Get close to Johnny, try to find any dark magicks emitting from him and that mansion of his, then get out. Are you ready?"

Zatanna nodded in the back seat, "Let's do this."


	5. Chapter 5

The final bell of the day blared out from the hallways. Many of the students jumped out of their seats and tried to sped towards the door before the teacher started back to talking.

Ms. Grener beat them to the door and stood in front of it. "Not so fast! You're homework tonight is to finish reading _The Raven_ and answer 1 through 16 of your reading packet. Now you may go."

Most of the class groaned and miserably walked out of the classroom. Andrea was one of the few still in the classroom. He took his time stuffing his books into his bag before he started for the door.

"Have a good weekend Andrea." She already had her work bag packed and thrown over her shoulder before he even walked through the frame of the door.

"You too, Ms. Grener." He waved back at her. He could hear the classroom door closing and her heels clacking against wax floor when he had only walked just a few feet away from the door. _I think that's a new record._

When he reached his locker, two second later he was grabbed and turned around as someone crouched behind him and used him as a shield.

"10 o'clock."

Agni Blazin, resident hot-headed misfit and the teachers' second worst headache. He has a good heart but he has his own sense of justice and follows his own set of rules. He can't last a week without getting detention or probation with the school's faculty for getting into a fight with someone who was bullying the members of the chess team or a prank he pulled like when he filled the principal's office with mouse traps and sticky string.

Which reminds him…

"Aren't you still on probation with Principal Sims?" Andrea deadpanned.

"Yeah, but the guy had it coming."

"Bellini!"

"'The guy" aka Mr. Oploin, the bane of Agni's existence and vice versa. You know that one teacher from school that think he's always right and always picked that one student's life to ruin. That's Mr. Oploin and he picked Agni as his target.

Agni is a year above Andrea and had the displeasure of having Mr. Oploin for his Math teacher. And according to Agni, the man has had it out for him since day one.

"Where's Blazin?!" His face was blotchy red and a purple vein looked like it's about to pop out of his forehead. Students standing in the hall behind him were snickering and taking pictures with their phones of his backside. He had a strange feeling that it had something to do with Agni.

"I don't know, Mr. Oploin. I think I heard Mrs. Jenie held him after class again." He could feel Agni giving him a thumbs-up on his back.

"Fine! But if I find out that you're lying to me, both you and him are going to be expelled!" Agni crouched walked around him to stay hidden as Mr. Oploin stormed past him. He then realized why those students were laughing at him. There was a giant paint spot on the back of his pants and a smiley face was painted on his back. It was kinda hilarious. Agni didn't get up until Mr. Oploin walked back into his classroom.

"Isn't that a little amateurish?" When Andrea turned around around Agni had the biggest shit-eating grin he's seen him have since he caused 'The Witching Hour Lockdown.' (It's a long story)

"That my friend, was just the icing on the cake." As Agni boasted about his latest prank, Andrea finished unloading his books from his locker and slammed it shut and started walking towards the school's entrance with Agni followed close behind him."I also glued his desk drawer's shut and found the file for the test on his century old controller. I made copies of the answer key to sell too. And because we're friends, I'll let you get a copy for free." Andrea laughed.

"Thanks." He was about to push the door open when they heard a shout from behind them. "BLAZIN! BELLINI! GET BACK HERE!" The Math Teacher's face was fire engine red with steam practically puffing from his nose, and that vein that was about to pop out of his head was now bulging full force. He started marching towards him.

"Run!"

* * *

Mr. Oploin chased them to the edge of campus before he stopped to catch his breath and the two teenagers made their escape. They kept running until they crossed the highway and hit the stop sign in front of Missy's Boutique on Center Avenue. Agni fell onto the ground and Andrea leaned on the stop sign's pole to catch his breath. Their legs and feet and chest were burning hot and their lungs were screaming, but they couldn't help burst into laughter.

"Did you see the look on his face." His red-streaked blonde hair was clinging to his face from his sweat and his black leatherman's jacket was hanging halfway off of his shoulders, "I didn't even know his face could get that red."

"Dude, you look like a drowned gopher." He yelped when Andrea's backpack hit him in his shin.

"Shut up!" He shrugged the rest of his jacket off and stood up. A bird squawked overhead of them and the sky was turning to hues of purple and orange. The street lamps were starting to come on too. Andrea had to get home before 5 to cook dinner.

"Hey, if your mom isn't home yet you can come over to my place. My mom wouldn't mind." It wouldn't be that long of a walk since Agni lived a street down from him.

And according to Agni, he was a terrible sleeper and would usually sit out on his porch when he couldn't go back to sleep. He also had amazing eyesight, even in the dark. So he would see her most of the time when the bus would drop his mom off around 8 at the Center Avenue bus stop and she would walk the rest of the way home and would call him when he would first see her.

It was weird at first. The first day at school he introduced himself by saying, "You're that kid who lives in the Shady Hovel Apartments, right? Your mom comes home pretty late you know."

After that, he had pretty much been ruled as a stalker and Andrea steered clear.

Then one day his mom was later than usual coming home. He had gotten so worried that he was about to call the police before someone knocked on his door. Agni was standing on his doorstep in a tank top, flash themed pajama pants and white socks. He said the doorman gave him the room number and floor. He also said that Andrea's mom was down the street thanking the bus driver for personally dropping her off from work(which was also weird but he chose not to worry about that at the moment because at least she didn't give him their actual address).

"How about we trade numbers. That way I could tell you if your mom is on her way. I'll be your eyes and ears. Like your watchdog.." He didn't see much of a problem with it. Agni has been watching over his mom ever since.

"No thanks, Ag. But thanks for the offer."

"If you say so. I'll call you if I see her." He dusted the dust and rock particles from off the bottom of his bag then slung it over his shoulder and headed towards his house. Andrea adjusted his backpack and did the same.

* * *

Andrea had to jiggle the key inside the lock before it opened with a loud creak. Jim had been meaning to grease that sometime this week. He walked down the hall and threw his backpack in his room then headed towards the kitchen to start cooking.

When they first moved to America, Camila managed to find them an apartment she could afford. It was a small one bedroom apartment. The kitchen was apart of the living room and they didn't have a dining room. Camila took up the one bedroom while Andrea took up the living room.

The kitchen was small, consisting of a microwave, a refrigerator with a missing bulb, a small cupboard, and a counter that separated it from the living room. But it was enough for the two of them.

He turned the ire on low and left the pasta to boil on the stove. He went into the living room to start on his homework. He sat down and pulled out his books then turned on the TV with the remote.

_"And for my final trick, I will make the person to your immediate right disappear."_

Andrea paused in his homework and watched the show intensely. After the magician said some foreign words the camera was pointed towards the audience and his eyes widened. The seats and everyone to the right of a person disappeared. The audience erupted into gasp and looked everywhere to see if they could see the missing people.

_"Don't worry. They're right here."_

With a wave of her wand the curtains behind her opened up. A card table was behind the curtain. All the audience and the missing seats were miniature sized on the table in rows. The audience members gave her a standing ovation and the magician bowed. Just before the curtains closed Andrea saw the name on the stage: 'Mistress of Magic Zatanna Zatara.

"_I've seen that name before," _Andrea thought. He started fishing through his bag again for the note the lady gave him from the airport. He found it in his hidden pocket.

_The Magic Show of the Century_

_Featuring the Mistress of Magic herself:_

_Zatanna Zatara_

_All Week Days_

_9:00 to 10:00 and 10:30 to 11:30_

_At Dante's Lounge_

The woman on the card was the same woman that was just on TV. Maybe the woman from the airport wanted him to see her. It's just 10. The lady should still be there. Maybe he'll go.

Of course after he finish cooking the spaghetti and writing a note to his mama.


	6. Chapter 6

**I haven't given up on this story. I'm still writing and still updating. Don't worry.**

* * *

Dick grabbed a champagne flute from off the platter of a passing-by waiter. He had no intention of drinking tonight, he had a job to do. But it did wonders for blending in with the crowd, well, as much as he could, being the son of a famous multi-billionaire. Already five women dressed down in jewels and glitter have shoved their breast in his face trying to seduce him into sneaking into one of the mansion's guest rooms with them for the night. Looking up, it looked like the sixth was on the way.

He moved away from his spot on the wall trying to lose himself in the crowd. He had downloaded the blueprints for the mansion and studied it from the four bedrooms and two guest rooms on the third floor to the servants' broom closet on first. According to the blueprints, one of the four bedrooms was bigger than the others, most likely Georgia's old master bedroom. He speculated that any dirty business that has been going through this mansion had to be in that room.

Not looking ahead, someone bumped into him, making the flute of champagne tip out of his hand and spilled onto his white shirt and black suit jacket. "I am so sorry!"

He looked up from his suit jacket and the first thing he noticed was the dress. It was a midnight blue dress that was strapless and flowed down to her feet, hugging her slightly in the waist. It was nothing like the dresses the other woman were wearing that made their bust overflow and that reflected beams of light from the hanging chandeliers every time that they twirled. Unlike the other women's reliance on glimmer and glam to make their dresses look beautiful, her dress's simplicity was what made it beautiful.

He then noticed her appearance. Her hair was a chestnut color that curled around her cheeks in swirls. She grabbed a napkin off of the banquet table beside them kneeled down and started patting his shirt with it trying to get the stain out. "I don't know why I'm so clumsy today," she said.

"It's alright." He held his hands up when he started patting up higher. "I don't think the stain is coming out."

The mystery woman pursed her lips as she stood up. "It looks like you're right." She bit her lower lip(which he found was the cutest thing ever) as she tried to adjust his jacket in a way that will hide the stain. "Maybe if you just adjust the jacket-"

Dick gently removed her hands from his jacket. "Tis nothing but a mere stain milady. It shant kill me." He wanted to turn her frown around for some reason. He wanted to hear her laugh.

She didn't laugh. There was just a quirk at the corner of her mouth and she raised an eyebrow. Her amusement was obvious though. "Well dear sir, you must let me somehow repay you."

Just then the music in the ballroom changed from fast beat classical music to a slow waltz. Some of the men started to lead women to the middle of the ballroom while others preferred to stand on the sidelines and watch.

"How about a dance?" Her sultry behavior instantly disappeared. Her eyes widened and that sultry smile she wore turned hesitant.

"I-I'm not that good of a dancer," she hesitated.

"I'll take the lead then." He gently grabbed her hand and led her to the center of all the dancing couples. He twirled her around and pulled her back, his hands on the small of her back and her hands resting on his shoulders.

Left, right, front, back, twirl, repeat. They manage to follow these steps without bumping into another dancing couple. A few more repeats of these steps and she could manage the steps with stumbling.

"See! You're a natural already," he said after pulling her back from a twirl.

She scoffed. "I don't know how when I've been looking down at my feet this entire time." There was a nervousness in the way she moved but she still didn't stumble or trip over her own feet. Dick moved his hands from her back and moved her hands from his shoulders and held her hands in his between them. "You're too stiff. Relax a little."

"You couldn't have come to this event alone. There must be a female Mrs. Grayson?" She asked to lessen the tension she felt.

"Actually I do have a girlfriend."

"Oh." She momentarily paused mid-step before she matched back up with the pace. "Is she here?"

"No. She's back at her apartment." His smile started to droop as he spun her around.

With one last twirl the dance ended, The crowd applauded and just like in the royal balls the men bowed to their partners. Only on his way back up a waitress who was passing by carrying a tray of drinks lost her balance and spilt them on his shirt. The glass broke and shattered against the floor. A series of gasps and shrieks could be heard from the guests.

"I am so sorry, I'll go get some napkins right away," the waitress cried as she scrambled to her feet. As she hurried past and when his back was turned, the waitress bumped the woman and winked at her before running off towards the kitchen.

The brunette shook her head before turning her attention to the champagne soaked man. "I think you may need those change of clothes now."

"Looks like it," he sighed. He was then caught off guard when she abruptly grabbed his wrist and started leading him towards the hallways of the mansion. "Where are we-"

"Johnny had a closet full of suits in his room, and you look like your about his size." She drug him through many twists and turns of hallways, one of which was lined with many pictures of what he guesses is the Filanto family tree. The only face he could recognize from the many faces on the walls was the one and only Georgia Filanto, with her signature set of bobbed, blonde curls and piercing eyes that stabbed daggers into your very soul even from a painting. Which brings up the question:

"How are you so close to Johnny?"

"We're… friends of some sorts I would say."

_Friends with benefits sounds more like it._

"Here we are." They stopped in front of one of the three rounded doors at the end of the corridor. When she opened the door, he was immediately drawn to a gold miniature throne and a lot of dark colours.

The room was decorated in black and ruby red from his drapes to his comforter. The miniature throne was in the center of the room with a silk carpet underneath it and a banner above it with the Filanto's family crest- a gun with the clip halfway in- at its center.

A work bench was to the left of the throne and sat against the wall stacked a mile high with papers. His bed was on the opposite side of the room and pushed against his window a few feet in front of a brick fireplace that was also against a wall. There was a heat lingering in the room so it had to have recently been lit.

"This doesn't seem like a room of Johnny's," he said as she shut the door behind him.

"Don't judge a book by it's brightly coloured cover." She passed by him to a wardrobe closet on the wall straight across from the bed. When she opened the twin doors, he could catch a glimpse of the many black suit jackets and white shirts before she pulled out one of the shirts and close the doors back. She laid the shirt out on the bed. "I'll step out so that you can change."

"Thank you." The door shut with a loud bang behind her.

Now that he was alone, he could search the room.

He first started with his work bench. There was a lot of papers to search through and not a lot of time left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Enjoy.**

* * *

"So do I get credit for saving your ass?" Danny had changed out of her waitress uniform and had changed into a backless, yellow Maxi chiffon, strapless with slit sides on the sides with black wedges.

"No because my ass didn't need saving." She grabbed a flute of champagne from a passing tray. Danny soured at the bubbly liquid. "Dante was right. You really are becoming an alcoholic."

"You have to drink beer to be an alcoholic."

"That's a lie and you know it." She held her hand out for the flute. Zatanna sighed and gave up the flute. Danny placed it on another one of the circling trays. They started walking around the floor. "Is he in his room?"

He started snooping as soon as I closed the door."

"Nice. But how are we going to know if he finds any evidence against him? We can't just ask him."

"I snuck into the mansion and charmed the room before the event. Any evidence he finds will be magically copied and sent to my apartment."

Danny blinked. "You're scary. You know that, right?"

"Not scary. Just prepared."

"Changing the subject, did you see those washboard abs. I should have dumped those drinks over his whole shirt." She mockingly swooned and danced around the floor. With her clumsiness, she almost bumped into a dancing couple before Zatnna pulled her back by her arm.

Have you taken your meds, Danny?" She whispered in her ear.

"Meds? Oh, yeah. Nope." She started giggling out of nowhere and clutched her chest and slumped onto Zatanna's side. She stumbled while trying to hold her up

"Come on." She dragged her from the middle of the floor to a quiet corner near the wall. Danny stopped giggling and slumped against the wall, but she was still clutching her chest and wheezing. After she made sure that nobody was watching, she discreetly pulled up the him of her dress and reached for the hidden compartment in her stockings. SHe pulled out a glowing blue capsule. "Swallow this."

Danny silently opened her mouth and Zatanna placed the capsule on the flat of her tongue. Danny then closed her mouth and tilted her head back and swallowed.

"Do you feel better?" Zatanna asked after Danny stopped clutching her chest and her wheezing stopped. She was unable to speak so she just nodded.

"You really need to start remembering to take your pills," she chastised.

:I know," she whispered.

"What are you two ladies doing over here? Such beauties deserve to be seen." Johnny meandered over to them in black suede tuxedo with a woman wearing a knee length strapless red dress that hugged too many curves to be appropriate.

"Hello Johnny. My friend was feeling a little under the weather-"

"But I'm feeling better now." Danny straightened up against the wall and walked towards Johnny on unsteady legs. SHe held her hand out for him to shake it. "Hannah Mongoli, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Zatanna facepalmed in her head. Only Danny could come up with another alias that quickly.

"The pleasure is all mine." Johnny leaned down and kissed the back of her hand. The woman on his arm bristled at the act.

"This is my date for the evening, Maragret." The blonde woman had an air of arrogance when he introduced her as his date like she felt some sort of pride from it. It's like she didn't hear the part when he said "for the evening."

Now she remembers how much she hated coming to events like this. The snootiness and better than you attitudes were unreal.

"So Roxy, where's Rochard? I saw you two killing the dance floor earlier." He looked around the floor for the brunette.

"One of the waitresses spilled champagne over his shirt so I let him change into one of yours. He should still be changing. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. What's one shirt out of a million? I hope that the waitress was dealt with though."

"The staff quickly switched her to the upper floors," Hannah answered.

"Remind me to give them a raise," he laughed.

"Roxy! I'm so glad you could make it." Johnny's sister clucked over in her 3 inch heels and stopped beside her brother.

She was wearing a seafoam green off-the-shoulder dress with a sash of ruffles sewn diagonally from her hip to below her chest with a pair of black heels.

"Thank you. Your dress is beautiful. Did you have it tailored?"

"A friend of mine actually made it." She didn't want them to track her back to the boutique.

"Well they're very talented. Maybe you can ask them to make me a dress. The family tailor is seriously lacking." She walked over to feel the material of Roxie's dress.

"He's been gone for a while," Johnny looked towards the hallway that led to the families bedrooms. "Maybe I should check on him."

"Check on who?" His sister asked.

"I believe he meant me." Richard walked over to the group and stopped beside Hannah. "Sorry for taking so long."

"The apology should be from me for my clumsy staff," JOhnny said.

"It's fine. It is crowded here. It's easy to trip."

"Well-"

"So Richard," Miranda interrupted. "I see you've met Roxie."

"Yes, but I didn't get the honor of learning her name." He reached across Hannah and grabbed Roxie's hand. "Nice to meet you, Rozie."

She giggled. "Nice to meet you too, Richard."

"It seems like you too have taken a liking to each other," Miranda said looking back and forwards between the two.

"But aren't you dating Commissioner Gordon's daughter?" Hannah asked. She pinched Roxie's side when she thought they'd been holding hands for too long. Roxie jerked and bit her lip to hold in her yelp. She let go of his hand.

"What she doesn;t know won't hurt her, right Rich?" He was confused and slightly disappointed that she pulled her hand away. He didn't budge when Johnny slapped her on the back. Barbra's scowling face suddenly came to mind.

"I'm positive she would know." She has always been inquisitive.

"So you would cheat if she wouldn't find out?" Hannah had regained her balance and stopped using the wall for support. SHe had her hands on her hips even as Roxie rolled her eyes at her attempt to look tough. "If you ever wanna look tough, place your hands on your hips and glare," she had said a while ago.

"Of course I wouldn't. I respect women too much to do that."

"Besides," Roxie cut in. "You can't be famous with that kind of attention on you."

"I wouldn't even want to think of the headlines."

"'The Prince of Gotham puts his nickname where it shouldn't have been." She laughed at the indignant look he was giving her.

"Ooh. ooh. I got a better one. 'Famous Gothamite Put The D In Adultery.'" Johnny walked off when another girl caught his attention. Miranda smiled as she watched Hannah and Roxie joke and laugh. They were a breath of fresh air in the stuffy mansion floor. It's been a while since she has enjoyed someone's company.

The song changed to a slow piano. COuples started to slow dance with each other, getting closer and resting their head on the men's chest.

"We've been here for two hours and I still haven't danced with anyone yet," Hannah complained.

"Do you really wanna get in on this dance?" Roxie asked eyeing one pair who were getting extra handsy on the floor. The other three saw what she was looking at and recoiled in disgust.

"They're practically sucking each other's lips off," Hannahsaid. A security guard was standing close by them. Miranda waved him over. "You see those two dancing-"

"I'm pretty sure that's not dancing," Richard interrupted.

"Can you get them to stop." He nodded and walked towards the snogging couple. He pulled them apart and exchanged some words. The couple were heading for the door when he walked back over.

"Where are they going?"

"They asked where the nearest hotel is." The security guard answered.

"I am so done with this party. I'll be outside Roxie." She headed for the door. She grabbed a flute on her way out.

"Hannah! Put that down!" She paused and put the flute back on the tray. She turned around and stuck her tongue out before walking back out.

"I guess that's my cue. It was a pleasure, ." She held her hand out to gesture a hand shake.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms Roxie." He shook her hand and they bidded each other farewell. When her hand slipped out of his it left a lingering tingle that left a painfully familiar feeling in his chest.

* * *

**R&R**


End file.
